Line-threading device.



P. N. STEIGLEDER.

LINE THREADING DEVICE. APPLIQA'I'ION FILED MAR.12,1910,

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

2 'BHEETEkBHEET 1..

f aHok/nm P. N. STEIGLEDER.

LINE THREADING DEVICE. APPLIOA'IIOR Hum an, 12, 1910.

Patented Dec. 2?, 1910.

a SHBETikSHEBT 2.

rennin N. srnzennbnn} or nrcmuonn, vrnemra.

Linn-anathema nnvxcs.

erases.

Specification Letters Patent.

union.

To all. whom-it may concern: --'.Be it known that I, FRANK N.S'rmennonn,

a; citizen of the United States, residing at fiichmond, in the county ofHenrico' and State of Virginia, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Line-Threading Dewoes, of which the following is aspecificaelectric wire 5) to which car tion.

This invention relates to a device for threading a cord or line throughthe narrow ipes or conduits of buildings, the electric wires may-beattached for drawing them through the pi es. The object of the inventionis to provi e a device whereby the operation of-threading 'the wires'maybe easily, quickly and conveniently accomplished and with a great savingin time and labor over the customary practice of fishing with metaltapes.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarrangement of devices, hereinafter fully described and claimed,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 isan elevational view of a line threading. device embodying my invention.Fig. 2 1s. a vertical: longitudinal section through the storage tank andpump. Fig. 3 is a top plan viewof the same. Fig. 4 1s a sectional view,showing the nozzle and traveler applied to a conduit for use. Fig. 5 is-1 an end view of the nozzle.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, I have disclosed atraveler, a flexible line connected with the traveler, and means forsupplying compressed air or other fluid pressure for forcing the'traveler through the ipe or conduit, and it is to be understood thatwithin the scope of the invention the fluid pressure employed might beother than that supplied from an air compressor, such as would beproduced by forming vacuum in the pipe in advance of the trav eler andutilizing the normal air pressure behind the traveler to force the samethrou h the pipe. I

' Re 'erring to the drawings, 1 designates a source of com ressed airsupply comprising a storage tan: closed by to and bottom heads 2 and 3and provided with a discharge outlet 4 havin .a controlling valve 5. AL-ranged central y and vertically within said tank is an air compressorcomprising 3 cyl; inder 6 having a piston 7 operating therein;- the rod8 from which extends upwardly through a cap 9 closing the upper end of apower as preferred.

at one end wit said cylinder for. opIeration by hand or he cap 9 isprovided with air inlet ports 10,,while the lower end of the cylinder isprovided with an outlet 11 controlled by a check valve 12, by which airmay be forced from the cylinder to thetank and prevented from returningto the Patented'Dec. 27, 1910. Application filed March 12, 1910. SerialNo. 548,966. I v i j cylinder. The cylinder is further provided with asuitable gage 13, by which pressure of the compressed airtherein may bedetermlned at any time.

A preferably1 flexible tube 14 is connected at its free end with atapered nozzle 15,

preferably formed of wood or other slightly yielding material, whichnozzle is detachabl connected therewith so that nozzles of d1 erentsizes may be ap lied to the pipe for connecting the same wit diflerentslzes of conduits. y

A bracket 16 engages the pipe 14 at a point adjacent the valve 5 andholds the the outlet 4 and is provideda same normall in adesired bend orcurve,';

and supporte by said bracket immediately below the curved portion of thepipe is a drum or reel 17 having an actuating crank 17, to which reel isattached one endof a flexible cord or line 19. This cord passes,

from the reel into the a djaoent end of'the pipe 14 through a slit oropening 20 formed in said pipe, and thence extends through the pipe andnozzle, saidslit or opening being of compartively -restricted size so asto avoid the escape of any material quantity of the compressed. air. Thecord is preferably in the nature of a stout fishing line, and the reelmay be provided with an ordinary spring drag to allow the cord to reelofi freely and uniformly and without regard to the amount of cord whichhappens to be upon the reel at any stage in the threading operation. Thedischarge endof the nozzle is provided with a central guide 15 for theline, by which the line is held in a determined position and preventedfrom being pinched between the nozzle and conduit, when the nozzle isinserted. Connected with the free end of theline is a traveler 21, whichis herein shown as formed of a laterally flexible or resilient wire stem22 carrying one or more'disks orheads 23, composed of the pipe orconduit through which the a cord is to be threaded. The edg 'es areradially flexiblev or yieldable to rea ily aco nn modate themselves toand pass portions of to passthrough the various bends, angles and curveswhich may be formed in conduits of this character. As shown, the stem ofthe traveler is detachably connected with the line by an ordinary snap.hook 25 by which it may be conveniently separated therefrom at any time,so that a larger or smaller sized traveler may be substituted thereforto pass through a smaller or larger conduit.

In the operation of the device the traveler and a portion of the lineare first-inserted into one end'of the conduit 26, andthen the nozzle 15is fitted into the end of the conduit, after which the valve 5 is openedto allow air'to feed from the tank 1 through the pipe l t and theconduit 26 behind the traveler, by which the latter will be forced ordriven through said conduit and dis-. charged atthe opposite endthereof. The electric 'wireto be passed through the conduit may then beattached to the cord 19 and drawn through the conduit with the cord, or,if the wire should be too large or heavy to be fed in this manner, alight wire may be attached and drawn through the pipe with the cord, andthe conducting wire then fastened to 'the feed wire and drawn therewiththrough the conduit.' In this manner the operation of threading electricwires through conduits of any length and diameter. may" be quickly andconveniently performed, and with a great saving of time and labor overthe customary practice ,of fishing the conduits with metal tapesQ Bydetachably connecting the nozzle to the air supply pipe 14; andsimilarly connecting the traveler with. the-line,

I different sizes'of; nozzles andtravelers may yhe'[quicklyg attachedfor use in CODDGtEtlOIl' with different sizes of conduits. After theelectric wire is threaded, it will'be understood that the traveler isdetached from the line and the latter wound back through the conduit bymeans of the reel 17 3 Having described the invention, I claim 1. In aline threading device, the combination of a fluid pressure supplydpipehaving an opening therein and provide vwith a'discharge nozzle, abracket moimted upon the exterior oflsaid pipe in proximit to 'saidopening, a reel journaled upon sai bracket, a line wound upon the reeland extending" through said opening into the, pipe and thence throughthe pipe and externally through the nozzle, and a traveler connectedwith the free end of said line, said traveler comprising a flexible stemcarrying radially flexible disks. Q 2. In a line threading device, thecombination of a fluid pressure supply pipe having atone end anelbow-shaped inlet portion and an opening adjacent thereto and having atits opposite end a' discharge nozzle, a bracket fitted upon theelbow-shaped portion of-the pipe, a reel mounted upon said bracket tolie within the bend formed by the elbow-shaped portion, a line woundupon the reel and extending therefrom through said opening into the pipeand thence exteriorly of the pipe through the nozzle, and a travelerdetachably connected with zthe freeend of the line, said travelercompris' ing a flexible stem carrying a series of con- FRANK N.S'IEIGLEDER.

lVitnesses:

ROBINSON NELSON, C. VALVIn Roemson.

